Customer Reviews

Whaling & Sailing Songs

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Warning: this is the same album as his reversed-title "Sailing and Whaling Songs," available with a different cover.

A good set of chanteys, but badly presented; Clayton's got a light, unemphatic tenor, tends to trail off and mumble, and accompanies himself with light modern guitar that doesn't add to the ambiance.

However, if you prefer that light style to either (my favorite) a chorus of rough baritones or a smooth British men's choir, then this may be for you.

Me, I'm not gonna bother to keep mine.

If you close your eyes while listening, you can make-believe you're on the deck of a whale boat! Clayton truly re-creates the sound. This isn't the rollicking re-creations that have become popular of late, but true-to-life, somewhat soulful renditions of old-style whaling shanties. The liner notes are even fascinating - although not the primary reason why I enjoyed this beautiful and mellow recording.

In the years before his suicide, Paul Clayton did some great work, especially in ferretting out obscure material and breathing life into it. Unfortunately, this particular album lacks the vitality of his earlier work, and portrays some great songs with a sense of weariness that belies the roaring energy that these songs demand.

This is the same album as the above (Whaling and Sailing Songs from the days of Moby Dick. You don't need to purchase both like I did. Great album Great Sea Songs.

I first heard of Paul Clayton only recently in a book about Bob Dylan from R.Shelton. PC was on that famous station wagon ride when Bob wrote "Chimes of Freedom" WOW. So I looked him up in Amz.com and sure enough there were some CD's there. PC died in 1967, so not only are these songs old from a historical point of view, they are dead from this artists point of view. I liked the music for what they were. His voice is mellow and he captures the era of the times. So long lost pal o' mine.